“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…” -2 Timothy 3:16 To say that scripture is “profitable” has nothing to do with money. It simply means that scripture is useful, beneficial, or advantageous toward a certain end. In this case, Paul says that scripture is beneficial for four things: teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. John Stott suggests that these four are divided into two groups: creed and conduct. Paul now goes on to show that the profit of Scripture relates to both creed and conduct (16b, 17). The false teachers divorced them; we must marry them.…
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Herman Bavinck on the Covenant of Redemption
Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, III:214-15: This doctrine of the pact of salvation… is rooted in a scriptural idea. For as Mediator, the Son is subordinate to the Father, calls him God…, is his servant… who has been assigned a task… and who receives a reward… for the obedience accomplished… Still, this relation between Father and Son, though most clearly manifest during Christ’s sojourn on earth, was not first initiated at the time of the incarnation, for the incarnation itself is already included in the execution of the work assigned to this the Son, but occurs in eternity and therefore also existed already during the time of the Old Testament… Scripture…
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My Take-Away’s from the Trinity Debate
Over the last two months, you might have noticed that there was quite a bit of online debate concerning the Trinity. These conversations are far from over, but the initial online surge does seem to have subsided at this point. For that reason, I have wanted to share some of my reflections on what has transpired. This isn’t all that can or should be said on the topic, and perhaps some readers may think it too much. So at the risk of saying both too little and too much, here are eight take-away’s from the recent Trinity debate. 1. On Nicaea: Before this debate started, I would have identified myself…
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How to pray for God’s favor
This morning, I’ve been pondering and praying the words of Moses in Exodus 33:13: “If I have found favor in Your sight, let me know Your ways that I may know You, so that I may find favor in Your sight.” -Exodus 33:13 Notice three crucial things about this prayer, each of which illuminate how we ought to pray as well. 1. The Basis: Even though the sentence begins with “If I have found favor,” God’s favor toward Moses is not in question. We know that because God has already told Moses that his favor rests on him (v. 12), and God will tell him again “you have found favor…
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Jonathan Edwards on the “Head of the Trinity”
Last week, I noted Scott Swain’s chapter about the Son’s willing submission to the Father within the covenant of redemption. I’ve been doing some further reading on this, and it turns out that intratrinitarian relations with respect to the pactum have been a perennial discussion among reformed divines. For example, Jonathan Edwards has a fascinating essay in his “Miscellanies” about “The Economy of the Trinity and Covenant of Redemption.” The entire thing is about 6,300 words, but it is worth the effort to read it if you have the time. Edwards argues that the Father is the “head of the Trinity.” He never cites 1 Corinthians 11:3 explicitly, but I…
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The Son’s willing submission to the Father in the pactum salutis
Last month, I commended to you Michael Allen and Scott Swain’s article titled “The Obedience of the Eternal Son.” That essay was so helpful that I was eager to get my hands on their new book Christian Dogmatics (Baker, 2016) which came out earlier this year. In this book, Swain has a really helpful chapter on the Trinity which is immediately followed by a chapter on the pactum salutis (a.k.a., the covenant of redemption). This is an edited work with multiple authors. But thankfully, Swain wrote both of these chapters, and they should be read together. Among other things, Swain notes that the pactum salutis has been a fixture in reformed…
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No, #NeverTrump is not over… at least it shouldn’t be.
Tonight Donald Trump accepted the GOP nomination for president of the United States. He is no longer the presumptive nominee. He’s the man now. The party belongs to him, and the GOP as we have known it is officially dead.
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Mary Kassian answers questions from an egalitarian about abuse
Mary Kassian has a fascinating Q&A with a leading egalitarian on the subject of abuse. The context of Kassian’s conversation is a review that Kassian wrote last May on the book “Black and White Bible, Black and Blue Wife.” I recommend reading the review first, then the Q&A.
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Bush and Obama Eulogize Fallen Dallas Officers
Earlier today, both President Obama and former President Bush offered eulogies at the memorial service for five Dallas police officers. You can watch President Bush’s remarks above and President Obama’s below. I think these words from President Bush stand out:
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Ware, Grudem, Sanders, Erickson, Giles to come together to talk about the Trinity
A draft of the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society has been released. As many of you know, the theme of this year’s conference is “The Trinity,” which is such a smiling providence given the heat of current controversy. I won’t summarize the whole program here, but I will say that it looks really good. Among the highlights, there will be a parallel session featuring Bruce Ware, Wayne Grudem, Millard Erickson, and Kevin Giles: Millard J. Erickson, “Language, Logic, and Trinity: An Analysis of Recent Subordination Arguments” Bruce A Ware, “The Nature of the Priority of the Father within the Trinity: Biblical Basis and Importance” Wayne Grudem, “Why a…
